Chapter Seventeen: The Feast of Corpses

He turned around.

That face was bloodless, the skin around the eyes a pitch-black abyss, terrifying to behold.

What frightened me most was that his appearance was almost a perfect reflection of my own—no, except for the pallor and the dark circles, he was identical to me in every way.

Fear seized my throat; I nearly screamed, but he lunged straight at me.

I tried to dodge, but someone pressed against my back, and he collided with me directly.

Yet I felt weightless, as if I had no strength at all.

And then, he vanished…

A hallucination? No, it couldn’t have been—Grandma Li and Aunt Wang had seen it too.

And who was it that held me in place?

I turned around; Aunt Wang was covering her mouth, clearly shaken to her core.

Grandma Li remained seated on the handcart, not getting down.

“Grandma Li…” I forced the words out, my scalp crawling with dread. “What was that thing…”

With her plump body, Grandma Li slowly clambered down from the cart, and I hurried to steady her.

She patted my hand, smiled gently, and said, “Child, those are the two souls you lost. Didn’t you feel something was wrong after you left the village?”

My heart skipped a beat. “When I left, I heard someone calling my name. I turned around, but saw no one. After that, I’ve been in a daze, always lost in thought.”

She nodded, walking over to the old peach tree, running her hand along the trunk. “Everything that lives long enough gains a spirit of its own. This old peach tree, though it looked dead, sprouted anew—life from withered wood. It developed a soul, and it doesn’t want anyone leaving the village. So whenever someone tries, it calls away a part of their soul.”

“Some souls are strong, some weak. The peach wood slowly drains the soul it calls out. Eventually, those who leave become vacant, dull, neither truly human nor ghost—haunted by nothing but the urge to return to the village.”

A chill swept through me, coldness crawling up my spine.

I clutched my chest, cold sweat pouring down my back.

“Don’t worry, child. Your soul has returned for now; you’ll be alright. But remember: if you’re alone on the road, and a stranger calls your name, think twice before looking back.”

Grandma Li sighed.

“Withered wood in spring, dead trees sprouting—great changes are coming to this village.”

With that, she sat back on the cart.

I continued pushing, Aunt Wang’s face still pale as a ghost.

After entering the village, the narrow road was bustling with villagers.

Upon seeing us, they quickly lowered their heads, whispering.

“Isn’t that Wang the Carpenter’s wife with Xie Yuan? She left two years ago—why is she suddenly back?”

“Doesn’t matter why. Wang the Carpenter did what he did; the village deserves an explanation. Go tell the old village head.”

“Look at the old woman on the cart—isn’t she the shaman from Wangjia Pass? I saw her at the pass once… Now he’s brought her here—what’s he planning?”

“Shut your mouth, calling the shaman ‘old woman’; do you want to lose your tongue?”

Grandma Li’s expression didn’t change. She simply smiled, seated atop the ox cart.

Aunt Wang’s face changed, and she whispered to me, “Xie Yuan, what are they saying? What did your Uncle Wang do?”

I hesitated, knowing I couldn’t keep it from her any longer, but I truly didn’t know how to begin.

“Aunt Wang… Erjun is at my house now… We’ll talk when you see him…”

I tried to keep my voice steady.

But she was frantic, her steps quickening with worry.

The sky grew ever darker, heavy clouds threatening to fall.

It was past four in the afternoon. I wondered if the teacher the old village head had summoned had arrived.

Had the village chief’s distant relatives come to take the bodies?

A few minutes later, we arrived at my courtyard gate.

I pushed open the door; a thick stench of death hit me in the face.

I gagged, nearly vomiting.

Aunt Wang pinched her nose, fighting back nausea. “Xie Yuan, what’s in your house? Dead rats?”

I shook my head with difficulty. “Aunt Wang, too much has happened… You don’t know yet…”

No one was in the yard, and the other doors inside were still closed.

Clearly, no one had come back.

Grandma Li’s gaze settled on the woodshed.

“Child, whatever you have to say or do, go now. I’ll check the woodshed.”

I led Aunt Wang toward my room.

Opening the door, Aunt Wang followed me in.

Wang Erjun crawled out from beneath the bed, his face still trembling with terror.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Mom… you’re back,” he sobbed.

Aunt Wang’s heart ached at the sight, and she wiped his tears again and again. “Erjun, don’t cry. What happened? Why are you hiding under the bed? Where’s your father? When I entered the village, everyone was talking about our family. Did he do something?”

Erjun’s sobs grew more violent. His reddened eyes glanced at me.

I bit down on my lip until it almost bled, my voice hoarse. “Aunt Wang… Uncle Wang is gone…”

She stiffened, face ghostly white. “Gone… what happened…”

It felt as though a boulder pressed on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Erjun wept harder, grief choking his words. “Mom… Dad’s dead…”

She swayed, nearly falling.

I rushed to support her.

Her eyes widened at Erjun. “Don’t scare me, Erjun. What did you say?”

He hiccupped, sobbing. “Dad’s dead. He died last night. Xie Yuan’s father and Aunt Hui are guarding the body; I was hiding here with Xie Yuan…”

He hadn’t finished before Aunt Wang staggered again, her eyes rolling back as she collapsed.

“Aunt Wang!”

I was terrified; she fainted, unable to bear the news.

Erjun was stunned into silence, clutching his mother and calling out to her.

We carried her to the bed. I said anxiously, “I’ll get Grandma Li to check on her.”

Erjun trembled. “Grandma Li really came?”

I nodded. “She’s in the woodshed, checking the five bodies from the village chief’s family.”

His face changed. Suddenly he said, “Xie Yuan, after you left, I heard strange noises in the yard. At first, I thought someone was back, so I peeked through the door, but saw no one. I waited a long time, then realized the noises came from the woodshed.”

“I worked up the courage to climb up and look through the window. I thought if it was rats, I’d drive them out—couldn’t let them eat the corpses, right? But guess what I saw?”

His eyes widened in fright.

My face darkened. “This is no time for suspense.”

A cold unease crept over me. How could the dead make noise? Could rats really be gnawing the bodies?

He wiped his tears, voice choking with grief. “My family is ruined and you still nag me…”

I sighed and apologized.

He hugged himself, whispering, “I saw one of the corpses shoving handfuls of rice into its mouth. I was nearly scared to death. I wanted to run but was afraid the villagers would catch me, so I hid in the room and didn’t dare come out.”

Goosebumps prickled my skin, and my voice rose despite myself. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

I bolted out the door, running toward the woodshed.

Erjun sniffled, following behind me, murmuring, “I thought only my mom was here. How was I to know Grandma Li would check the bodies?”

In the blink of an eye, I was at the woodshed door.

It was open; the stench of death so thick it burned my lungs.

“Shh.”

Grandma Li crouched with her back to us in front of a corpse. She didn’t turn, just hushed us for silence.

The five corpses lay on the ground, and they seemed smaller than when we’d brought them in.

Erjun pointed at the one Grandma Li was examining, steeling himself. “That’s the one…”

I was terrified too—sure enough, there were grains of rice stuck around the corpse’s mouth.

“Grandma… Erjun says the corpse ate rice while we were gone…” I forced myself to speak, afraid something terrible would happen to her.

Suddenly, Grandma Li pressed her hand onto the corpse’s belly!

There was a brittle crack, and the charred skin peeled away.

The corpse’s mouth opened, and a handful of rice was forced out, as if squeezed from within.

Erjun grabbed my arm, biting his lip to keep from screaming.

I was drenched in cold sweat, gooseflesh crawling over my skin.

Grandma Li continued, clearing all the rice from the corpse’s mouth before standing and turning toward us.

“I noticed something odd too. There was something in its mouth. I was just about to pry it open when you two arrived.”

Her plump face had lost all its previous warmth; now, her brow was deeply furrowed.

“Withered trees in bloom, corpses eating rice—old ghosts are about to rise from their coffins…”

A chill shot through me. Was she talking about the village chief’s father?

“Grandma… could you check on my mother first? She’s fainted…” Erjun’s mind was muddled, interrupting her.

Grandma Li nodded. “I’ll take a look.”

I glanced uneasily at the corpses on the floor.

We can’t keep these bodies in the house, I thought.

But when would the village chief’s relatives come? So much had happened, I’d been to Wangjia Pass and back, and still they hadn’t arrived.

Fear and frustration gnawed at me.

Erjun helped Grandma Li back to my room.

I hurried after them, closing the woodshed door behind me.

But as soon as we entered, Erjun dropped to the floor with a crash.

The bed was empty—in the brief time we’d been gone, Aunt Wang had vanished without a trace…